Graphics Pipeline Power Consumption Reduction

Abstract

A graphics pipeline may be partially or completely shut down based, at least in part, on the presence of non-transparent objects in a graphics layer. Any regions of the graphics layer that include one or more non-transparent objects (e.g., semi-transparent, opaque, etc.) may be determined. A video layer and the determined regions of the graphics layer may be sampled. The sampled video layer and the sampled determined regions of the graphics layer may be composited for display. In some instances, it may be determined that the graphics layer includes no non-transparent objects. Upon that determination, the graphics pipeline may be fully shut down and the video layer may be sampled and composited, without sampling and/or compositing the graphics layer.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method, comprising:
 receiving multimedia content, wherein the multimedia content comprises a graphics component rendered as a graphics layer and a video component rendered as a video layer;   determining any regions of the graphics layer that include one or more non-transparent objects;   sampling the video layer and the determined regions of the graphics layer without sampling regions of the graphics layer not containing one or more non-transparent objects; and   compositing the sampled video layer and the sampled determined regions of the graphics layer for display.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said determining, compositing, and sampling include:
 determining that the graphics layer includes no non-transparent objects;   sampling the video layer without sampling the graphics layer; and   compositing the sampled video layer for display.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said determining any regions includes the multimedia player providing a graphics state that indicates a status of any non-transparent objects in the graphics layer to a display controller implementing said sampling. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said determining any regions comprises:
 the multimedia player receiving a display list comprising a plurality of objects; and   the multimedia player determining the regions corresponding to the one or more non-transparent objects of the plurality of objects in the display list.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 in response to said determining, providing an indication of the determined regions to the hardware performing said sampling.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said sampling and compositing is performed with the same hardware. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said sampling and compositing are performed with different hardware and wherein the hardware performing said sampling is configured to provide an indication to the hardware performing said compositing to indicate the determined regions to composite for display. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said sampling the video layer is performed at a different rate than said sampling the graphics layer. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said compositing includes compositing the sampled video layer and the sampled determined regions of the graphics layer for display in a full-screen mode of a multimedia player. 
     
     
         10 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to implement:
 for multimedia content comprising a graphics component rendered as a graphics layer and a video component rendered as a video layer:
 determining any regions of the graphics layer that include one or more non-transparent objects; 
 directing sampling the video layer and the determined regions of the graphics layer without sampling regions of the graphics layer not containing one or more non-transparent objects; and 
 directing compositing the sampled video layer and the sampled determined regions of the graphics layer for display. 
   
     
     
         11 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 10 , wherein said determining, compositing, and sampling include:
 determining that the graphics layer includes no non-transparent objects;   directing sampling the video layer without sampling the graphics layer; and   directing compositing the sampled video layer for display.   
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 10 , wherein said determining any regions includes providing a graphics state that indicates a status of any non-transparent objects in the graphics layer to a display controller implementing said sampling. 
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 10 , wherein said determining any regions comprises:
 receiving a display list comprising a plurality of objects; and   determining the regions corresponding to the one or more non-transparent objects of the plurality of objects in the display list.   
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 10 , wherein said sampling and compositing is performed with the same hardware. 
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 10 , wherein said sampling and compositing are performed with different hardware and wherein the hardware performing said sampling is configured to provide an indication to the hardware performing said compositing to indicate the determined regions to composite for display. 
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 10 , wherein said sampling the video frame buffer is performed at a different rate than said sampling the display frame buffer. 
     
     
         17 . A system, comprising:
 a plurality of hardware resources configured to:
 receive multimedia content, wherein the multimedia content comprises a graphics component rendered as a graphics layer and a video component rendered as a video layer; 
 determine any regions of the graphics layer that include one or more non-transparent objects; 
 sample the video layer and the determined regions of the graphics layer without sampling regions of the graphics layer not containing one or more non-transparent objects; and 
 composite the sampled video layer and the sampled determined regions of the graphics layer for display. 
   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein to perform said determining, compositing, and sampling, the plurality of hardware resources is further configured to:
 determine that the graphics layer includes no non-transparent objects;   sample the video layer without sampling the graphics layer; and   composite the sampled video layer for display.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein one of the plurality of hardware resources is a central processing unit (CPU) configured to execute program instructions to implement the multimedia player and perform said determining, and another one of the plurality of hardware resources is a display controller configured to perform said sampling. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein to perform said determining, the program instructions are further executable by the CPU to:
 receive a display list comprising a plurality of objects;   determine the regions corresponding to the one or more non-transparent objects of the plurality of objects in the display list;   and provide the determined regions to the display controller.   
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the display controller is further configured to perform said compositing. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein a third one of the plurality of hardware resources is a graphics processing unit configured to perform said compositing, and wherein the display controller is further configured to provide an indication to the GPU to indicate the determined regions of the graphics layer to composite for display.